John's Blog

Betsy Williford's review in the Miami Herald. My favorite Latina rock star and critic Emma Trelles comments in the Sun-Sentinel. Requiem is a Peoplemagazine four-star pick of the week this week. Get your copy before I buy them all. It's not online yet, so I can't link to it. When it is, I will. Requiem will be an August Indie Notable Selection. Here's a mention in Bookcourt.My pal Wayne Maugans has something to say at Theater Arts Network. Tina Koening in MiamiArtZine gets personal. And here's John Hood, who may end up as a character in one of my stories if he's not careful, in the Miami Sun Post. In the interest of fairness and full disclosure and because my Catholic self needs a taste of humble pie, I present this scathing review by the book editor in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He runs the country's thirty-fifth best book page. (Sorry, I couldn't help it. But I'm sure he's trying.) This Hoover fellow hated my darlings and my sentences. I was so upset that I went out and wrestled the bougainvilla and cut up my arms and legs, but now I feel better and the front yard looks a little neater. Some folks like their plots applied with trowels, I guess. I'm thankful that other people have a more sensitive and nuanced understanding of storytelling. From Book Page. And here from Monroe, Louisiana. Hoover, I learned, doesn't like blogs either, by the way. He promises in his rant, you'll note ". . . to stick to the traditional standards of accuracy, proper grammar, attribution, but I'll leave out my phone number." (Emphasis added.) Maybe then he can see the two grammatical errors in this single sentence from his review: To which I add, "Why do we need to read 'Requiem, Mass?'"